News at St. Catherine's
Richmond Times-Dispatch: St. Catherine's volleyball beats Collegiate to win LIS title
The Saints beat Collegiate 3-0 to win the LIS title.
Not just a little loud, like above a normal talking level or slightly not being able to hear someone else. No, Jacobs Gym was ears-ringing and shouting-to-people loud.
Well, that’s what happens when St. Catherine’s and Collegiate girls volleyball meet with a League of Independent Schools title on the line. The gym was split with Saints and Cougars fans, and each were screaming from the start.
St. Catherine’s senior Campbell Wood said that crowd noise and support was a big reason why the Saints took home the LIS title with a 3-0 victory over Collegiate.
“We absorbed it and we got our energy,” Wood said. “Our bench was as loud as possible, and it really gave us a boost.”
“We absorbed it and we got our energy,” Wood said. “Our bench was as loud as possible, and it really gave us a boost.”
The Saints dominated from the start. The Cougars hung with the visiting team at the beginning of sets, especially the first two, but eventually St. Catherine’s broke away. In the third set, Collegiate caught up and broke the 20-point plateau, but it wasn’t enough to take a set from the visitors.
St. Catherine’s used big blocks and quick kills to get the job done. The team communicated well and were constantly moving and adjusting to what Collegiate was showing them.
Saints coach Steve Weston said that his team has dealt with injuries all season and Friday, they were close to 100% healthy and it showed on the court.
“It’s just really rewarding,” St. Catherine’s junior Fielding Croft said. “Our trainers have done a great job for us. It’s really just a whole village.”
This was the fourth time this year the Saints and the Cougars met. St. Catherine’s won the first meeting in early September but dropped the second two matchups, once at home and then again on the road.
Weston said the team wasn’t in best shape, following the last matchup with Collegiate, a 3-1 loss Oct. 17. The Saints remembered that.
Wood said the team talked before the game and said St. Catherine’s knew it needed to play as a team the entire game. On Friday, that worked.
“I think that they remember the last time we were in this gym, we played very poorly,” Weston said. “We watched it last night ... They remember well.”
St. Catherine’s wasn’t the same team Friday and took what it watched on film to heart. Backed by the loud crowd, the Saints came out swinging and never let up.
“I think everyone was excited,” senior Taylor Meredith said. “I’m super happy.”
This is the first LIS title for the Saints in two years, Weston said. The last titles have gone to Collegiate, so to get the win back from the Saints’ rival was big and resulted in a dogpile following the third set.
“We really wanted to get them this time,” Meredith said. “They had been beating us for the past few years, and we just knew that we needed to break that cycle.”
Weston said that, with the exception of the 2020 pandemic-altered season, this will be the seventh straight appearance in the VISAA state tournament for St. Catherine’s. Last year, the Saints lost in the quarterfinals to Norfolk Academy, and Meredith said she’s confident the team can make a run again.
Weston added the team should find out the seeding Tuesday ahead of the tournament next week.
“I’m super proud of our team,” Wood said. “We’re going to play as a team, the whole entire state tournament, and get better and improve.”
For now, winning the LIS title is something the team is going to celebrate. For some of the Saints, it’s the first time they’ve won the trophy and beating rival Collegiate shows how much the team battled adversity to come out on top.
“We put so much heart throughout the whole entire game,” Wood said. “It’s the most amazing feeling in the entire world. We came in with the intensity and (got) better every single play.”
.png){kind=logo}
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St. Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
